I’ve been attempting 16:8 daily, then having between 800 – 1000 calories per day (mostly!) and the weight and measurements are slowly going down, which is good. But I was just wondering, if I have some protein powder with almond milk (the only milk I like) in the morning will that be breaking my 16:8?

Yes, and so does the almond milk. To do the 16:8 straight, the 16 hours should involve zero caloric intake of any kind. Unsweetened almond milk has 30 calories a cup which means as soon as you drink it you’re breaking your fast. The calories in the protein powder depend on the type and amount, but they’re certainly more than zero as protein alone has 4 calories a gram plus whatever else is in there.

Have you read the ingredients of the milk and powder? Is there any sugar in them? If there is, replace them both with unsweetened brands. Hidden sugars/refined carbs could well be the reason you feel compelled to break your fast early. They drive ravenousness. My OH, who wants to shed 5-10 pounds to get rid of his little tummy, started IF and I wasn’t sure he could do it because for the 27 years I’ve known him, he has woken up starving and ate 2 breakfasts, one as soon as he got up, one a couple of hours later. He had to force himself to get to 10:00 AM for the first 4 days. After that, he said it became no effort at all and his morning hunger disappeared.

Maybe you can jigger the timing a little. I don’t eat until noon at the earliest because I’m not a breakfast person anyway so it’s easy for me. What hours are you aiming for? Could you try a late morning breakfast and earlier dinner?

Thanks Esnecca, to be honest, that’s what I expected. I’m not really all that bothered about Breakfast and I guess the only reason I was having the protein and almond milk (both completely sugar/sweetner free) was because I have this huge tub of the stuff and I just thought I’d use it in the morning rather than seeing it go to waste.

I’ve no problem going back to the 16:8 though, I guess I just wanted a second opinion about the protein etc. and I’m glad I came here because at least I know it’s definitely breaking the fast now (I guess it was obvious with hindsight :)) , and not to have it in the morning.

Thanks again, appreciated 🙂